How far can keyboards go ? I like to think back.. oh say ..25 years ago, before the current midi standard, before sampling ( not counting the Mellotrons ), before arrangers, heck even analog synths as we know them were in the development stage as far as being accesible to the average muwsician.

How many of us that were playing back then, on what was "hot" in the day, could have envisioned the tools that are available to us now ? In 1978, I had a Hohner Clavinet, and the remains of a silvertone organ. Five years later, it was the analog Korg poly 6 ( a huge advancement ) and the Yamaha CP25.

Casio's began appearing en masse, and their low end Yamaha counterparts along with them. They were nothing that resembles today's arrangers, but they were a sort of forerunner. About 5 or 6 years after that, I had one the midi romplers that changed everything as we had known it, the M1, and A technics SX KN somehing or other that began to take the more of the shape of today's arrangers but still was nothing like it's modern day cousins. I saw tremendous change over a 10 year period.

Maybe we've hit a plateau of sorts, at least in the arranger arena, or maybe not. A scant few years ago the PSR8000, G1000 and I-30 were king. Today it's the Tyros and PA1x ( and maybe something from Roland down the road ). While they are arrangers, there are also some big differences between then and now. I still think Vst type technology, where you will have the ability to add so much to an already good existing piece of hardware, will become king, as opposed to the Open labs type deals that start from scratch. Who knows ? I hope I'll be fortunate enough to be around a few more decades to see and experience it, no matter how it all turns out.

AJ

[This message has been edited by Bluezplayer (edited 01-20-2004).]